In the production of ferronickel, there is wide use of the reduction smelting of cinder, that is a pre-roasted charge of oxidized nickel ores, a reducing agent and a flux. One of the most important parameters of such an electric smelting are the depth of the slag bath, the depth of immersion of the electrodes into the slag bath and the specific power at the electrode surface wetted with the slag. In the course of the smelting, these parameters are monitored and controlled in order to maintain them in accordance with a prearranged process order. Any of such methods of smelting ferronickel in an ore-smelting electrical furnace is an analogue of the present invention.
In the known prior art methods of smelting ferronickel, inadequate attention was paid to the elimination of the detrimental effects convective of slag flows upon the lining of the electrical furnace and upon the economical characteristics of the electric smelting. The process of the electric smelting was performed in such a mode of electric resistance with which the main heat is evolved in the bulk of the slag bath. With such a mode, the depth of the slag bath is approximately from 1.2 to 2.0 of the electrode diameter, the depth of immersion of the electrodes is from 0.5 to 1.2 of the electrode diameter and the specific power at the electrode surfaces wetted by the slag does not exceed 3 MW/m.sup.2 in the electrical furnaces used for smelting ferronickel, in particular, at the soviet metallurgical works. However, with such a mode of electric smelting, strong convective slag flows arise. These convective slag flows caused by the large depth of immersion of the electrodes lead, taking into account the used depth of the slag bath, to high heat losses in the region of contact of the slag bath with the electric furnace lining. Furthermore, the strong convective slag flows lead to a more quick desctruction of the electric furnace lining.